82 THE COMMON PHEASANT. 



sowing the seed for the other; and so enticing is this food, that 

 they will not desert the cover to which it is annexed. If the 

 winter supply is abundant, the birds are sure to be most prolific 

 in the following spring and sunim^L 



In the south of England, and latterly in Ireland, the breeding 

 of pheasants is carried on to a great extent, and, on this account 

 the bird can almost never be seen, except in an artificial state ; 

 for, being turned out of the nursing-houses early in the season, 

 and fed and nursed in the covers for the winter's batteau.. they 

 are sluggish and lazy, quite fearless, and can afford anything but 

 sport, to one accustomed to follow game in their wild and natural 

 haunts. The slaughter at these shooting meetings is sometimes 

 so immense, that the game can scarcely be made use of; and they 

 were formerly much more wanton on the Continent than in Eng- 

 land. In, perhaps, the largest game establishment of modern 

 days, and conducted in a most magnificent scale that of Chantilli 

 54,878 head of various game were killed, in one year; and, 

 during a period of thirty-two years, 12,304 is the lowest number 

 that was obtained. In the same course of years, the number of 

 pheasants killed, was 86,193, averaging nearly 2,700 yearly. In 

 Germany, there were some parties scarcely inferior in massacre. 

 A party of ten, in Bohemia, are said to have killed, in two days, 

 within a limited extent, above 950 pheasants, besides about 1,200 

 partridges ; and, in another part of Germany, twelve sportsmen, if 

 such a name is applicable to them, killed in one day, of fourteen 

 hours, 39,000 head of game, of which pheasants bore a proportion. 

 At the Christmas batteau, in England, from 800 to 1,000 head of 

 game is a frequent daily amount, the greater share of which, are 

 hares and pheasants. From these some idea may be formed of 

 the extent to which breeding and turning out is carried. 



The pheasant is subject to a considerable variety of plumage. 

 Like most gallinaceous birds, at an advanced age, the female 

 sometimes assumes the plumage of the male, and those in thia 

 state should be killed, or expelled the preserves, as, with this 

 livery, they assume a disposition to war with their own race. 

 They vary, in being mottled with white, or becoming entirely of 

 that colour, and Temminck is of opinion that, in such cases, it is 

 owing to disease in some of their functions, and mentions that 

 persons who have long had the charge of a pheasantry, have 

 known the white birds resume all their former brilliancy, after 

 continuing for years in the albino state. 



There is another very beautiful variety, which, of late years, has 

 become extremely common in Scotland, and has received the name 



